Gary Zhou 
Key Points
- 🚗 Tesla used a unique strategy in the Model 3 Highland to reduce wind and road noise, addressing a common issue in electric vehicles.
- 🛡️ The lack of a loud combustion engine in EVs can make wind and road noises more noticeable.
- 🌬️ Tesla previously worked on noise reduction through techniques like improved insulation and Active Road Noise Cancellation.
- 🪟 The Model 3 Highland features double-pane glass all around the car to help dampen wind and road noise.
- 🌍 The Model 3 Highland has been released in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East and is set to launch in the U.S. and other Western Hemisphere markets next year.
Tesla used a unique strategy in its new Model 3 Highland to reduce wind and road noise, which has been a common complaint of electric vehicles.
One of the unavoidable things with EVs is an increase in noticeable wind and road noise due to the lack of a combustion engine. In ICE, or internal combustion engine, vehicles, the noise produced blocks out a lot of wind and road sounds that come with driving. Due to an EV’s lack of a loud combustion engine, these road noises are much more noticeable.
Tesla has used various strategies over the years to combat this, including working with tire manufacturers to engineer insulation techniques that helped bring the road noise down. Tesla also used various techniques in its vehicles over the years to attempt to reduce the noise, although CEO Elon Musk said that the 2019 Model 3s had been the first cars subjected to these improvements.
He didn’t explicitly mention any strategies, but improved door and window seals were likely one of the ways Tesla reduced the sounds.
Tesla also used Active Road Noise Cancellation in Model S and Model X vehicles as early as 2021.
However, Tesla used a new strategy with its Model 3 Highland to combat wind and road noise by using double-pane glass all around the car, which helps dampen the sounds.
The Model 3 Highland has been released in Asia, Europe, and the Middle East but has not yet made its way to the United States. However, it is set to be launched in the U.S. and other Western Hemisphere markets sometime next year.
For now, the vehicle is being produced at Gigafactory Shanghai and China and shipped to customers who have ordered the vehicle.
